1 A/Prof Ann Bye Department of Neurology Clinical Features and Differential Diagnosis of Syncope and Apnoea in Children and Infants z Breath-holding events z Apparent life threatening events z Apnoea and posturing : Raised intracranial pressure z Mimicking syncope : Pseudoseizures
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A/Prof Ann Bye Department of Neurology · Infants with Apparent Life – Threatening Events Infantile Apnoea Infants with apparent life threatening event. zSyndrome predominantly
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A/Prof Ann ByeDepartment of Neurology
Clinical Features and Differential Diagnosis of Syncope and Apnoea in Children and Infants
Breath-holding events
Apparent life threatening events
Apnoea and posturing : Raised intracranial pressure
Mimicking syncope : Pseudoseizures
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Infantile SyncopeInfantile Syncope
Transient loss of consciousness and postural tone caused by a global reduction of blood
flow to the brain.
Syncopal attacks illustrate well the dictum that the differential diagnosis of epilepsy depends much more on what precedes or follows an
attack than on what occurs during it.
Baseline
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+10 secondsbradycardia
+20 seconds
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+35 seconds EMG, tonic phase
+45 seconds
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BreathBreath--Holding SpellsHolding Spells(Cyanotic and Pallid Infantile Syncope)
Paediatrics 39;4;563-581, 1967
Incidence : 4.6%Family history : 23%Types : cyanotic : 62%
: pallid : 19%: mixture : 19%
Subsequent data :cyanotic : pallid : both : 5:3:2
BreathBreath--Holding SpellsHolding Spells(Cyanotic and Pallid Infantile Syncope)
Paediatrics 39;4;563-581, 1967
Onset : Neonate to 4years, 7% in first 2months, almost all by 3years
Prospective study of children with cyanotic and pallid breath holding spells
Aim : Determination of natural history of severe breath holding spells
Results : 95 children– Median presentation : 6-12 months with 15% < 6 months.– Median frequency of spells : weekly with 30% = or >1 /day. – Median age at peak frequency : 12-18 months.
– Of those in remission for 12 months last spell occurred at median age of 37-42 months.
– Of those with current spells oldest age at time of latest spell was 7.
– Hypoxic convulsions : 15% of participants. – Positive family history : 34%.– Syncope : 18%.
Pacemaker implantation has been used for severe spells associated with seizures, life threatening bradycardia or asystole – Pediatrics 108,3, 698-72, 2001
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Family Pedigree of Children with Severe Family Pedigree of Children with Severe BreathBreath--Holding Spells (SBHS)Holding Spells (SBHS)
– 27% of proband parents and 21% of proband siblings had current or prior SBHS
– Father to son transmission was observed in 7 instances
Autosomal dominant trait with reduced penetrance
Breath holding spells in 91 children and response to treatment with iron Arch Dis Child 1999 ;81: 261
Age : 6-40 months, cyanotic (60), anoxic/mixed (31) followed median 45 months– Frequency : 49 < 10/month; 22 :10-30/month; 20 : > 30/month.
Iron deficient : 63/91 treated 3 months
Significant difference for correction of breath holding spells between treated and not (84.1% vs 21.4%)
Iron deficiency may play a role in autonomic dysregulation (via catecholamine metabolism)– Improvement in autonomic function (heart rate variability) has
been demonstrated following iron therapy – (J Child Neurol 2002;17: 337-40)
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Anoxic-epileptic seizures : Observational study of epileptic seizures induced by syncope
Arch Dis Childh 2005, 90 (12) 1283-7
27 children (1972-2002)
Age of onset of syncope 5 days – 10 years, median 8 months
Frequency of syncope : 2 in total to 40/day
Types of syncope:– Reflex anoxic seizure (9). Asystole : range 17-31 seconds– Prolonged expiratory apnoea /cyanotic BHS (6)– Infantile syncope of mixed origin (9)– Vasovagal (2) : ear piercing, hair grooming– Compulsive valsalva (1), boy with autism
Anoxic-epileptic seizures : Observational study of epileptic seizures induced by syncope
Arch Dis Childh 2005, 90 (12) 1283-7
Median age of onset anoxic epileptic seizure : 17 months, total of one to 3/day
Epileptic component ; bilateral clonic, median duration 5 minutes, range : 0.5-40 minutes– epileptic component > 10 mins (12), > 30 minutes (4)
i.e. status epilepsy is frequent complication
3 independent diagnoses of epilepsy
Management of epileptic component : diazepam/anticonvulsants
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Infants with Apparent Life –Threatening Events
Infantile Apnoea
Infants with apparent life threatening event.
Syndrome predominantly affecting children < 1 year, peak incidence one week to 2 months. Not a diagnosis
Constellation of symptoms : apnoea, change in colour, change in muscle tone, coughing or gagging. Episode is frightening!
Prolonged apnoeic spells without bradycardia should suggest seizure
Prolonged apnoea with bradycardia suggests non epileptic phenomenon
Multiple seizure locations demonstrated, commonest temporal (right or left) but central, occipital, parietal and frontal also recorded
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Message
Differential Diagnosis of Acute Life Threatening Event is broad!
Apnoea as a manifestation of seizure and presenting as an acute life threatening event is an important consideration
Monitoring can be critical. Dual pathology maybe seen.
Raised Intracranial PressureLater stages : irregularity of respiratory rhythm, apnoea, decerebrate posturing, slowing of pulse and raised blood pressure
Cushing reflex– Simultaneous onset of tachycardia and hypertension :
indicator of impaired cerebral perfusion• Br J Anaesth 2005,96(6), 791-9
Precipitants in patient with raised pressure: overhydration, narcotics, seizure
Important in patient with shunt
Compliance curve (pressure/volume) is exponential
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Clinical Features of Syncope and Apnoea in Children and Infants
Breath – holding events
Apparent life threatening events
Apnoea and posturing : Raised intracranial pressure
Mimicking syncope : Pseudoseizures
Clinical FeaturesClinical FeaturesTwo broad diagnoses on video-EEG: (n=110)
1. Attacks of collapse or limpness (37)
2. Attacks with prominent motor activity (73)
Duration of recorded attacks.< 1 min: 51-30 mins: 97>30 mins: 8
A gradual onset of event with fluctuating course and long ictus is unusual in epilepsy.
(Neurology 1991; 41: 1643-1646) 1
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The Swoon The Swoon
Prolonged motionless collapse is not a prominent clinical feature of a seizure.
May elicit response : resistance to eye opening
: visual fixations.
Recording of alpha rhythm on EEG.
Issues of managementClear diagnosis: see event, home video Telemetry: show the video – need to capture event of concernNeed to have family in agreement – description of event analysis
Importance of avoiding anticonvulsantsAvoidance of acute medication: is child safe?
Need for team strategies as sudden loss of consciousness causes havoc at home and school
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Not all who stop breathing or moving are seizing!
Some are fainting, some feigning and some in big trouble!